I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cable-passage system between the body and a door of a motor vehicle.
It relates more particularly but not limitatively to cable passages that must be implemented between a central lateral column of a motor vehicle provided with two side doors, and the rear side door which is hinged on this column, also known as the “center pillar”.
II. Description of Related Art
It is well known that passages for electrical conductors necessary for the operation of certain devices, such as motors of electric window lifters or door-locking systems, must be provided between the body of a vehicle and a door. In general, these cables are guided and protected by a sheath of flexible material connecting the respective walls of the body and of the door in sealed manner, these walls being substantially facing one another, at the level of the edge of the door. The sheath can be deformed in flexion in order to absorb the differences of spacing between the said walls during pivoting of the door, and for this purpose it has a U-shaped loop such that the sheath is located between the two said walls when the door is closed, in a seat provided for this purpose in the body, this U-shaped member spreading apart when the door is opened. The sheath is traditionally formed by a kind of corrugated rubber tube, which gives it the required deformability in flexion.
To limit the necessary clearance of the sheath and therefore to reduce its length, this cable passage is commonly situated at a level at which the variation of clearance between the walls where the ends of the sheath are fixed is minimal, and therefore traditionally at a substantially middle level over the height of the door, allowing for the usual shape of doors and the placement of pivoting hinges.
Evolutions of the structure of new vehicles, however, have led to modifications of the said center pillar, which in particular is less broad. In addition, for safety reasons affecting the use of transversal elements of the structure of doors, situated substantially at half height of the door, and aimed at preventing or limiting deformations of the side walls of the body, it has been necessary to shift the openings cut into the said edge walls of the door to permit the passage of cables toward the bottom of the door, although they used to be located at mid-height, as indicated in the foregoing. One consequence is that the required clearance is greater, which would imply a need to increase the length of the sheath. But then a problem of congestion would develop, for lack of space to locate this lengthened sheath between the door and the center pillar when the door is closed, and, in addition, the longer loop formed by the sheath leads to the risk that it may be crushed during closing of the door.
Japanese Patent 2000-195357 describes a bellows for protection of a cable bundle, designed so as to be extensible. There is one embodiment in which the cable bundle can slide inside the sheath and have the same length as it.
German Patent 3500359 describes a sheath in the form of a variable-length bellows, designed in such a way as to permit sliding of the cables on the body side.